Good News in a Bad World | Jesus Fixes What’s Broken

You know, there is a very special group of people I want to introduce you to. They are a group of people who are passionate about the gospel of Jesus Christ being proclaimed in this nation and beyond. Without them, harvest ministries could not even exist. We call them harvest partners. They're people who have chosen to give monthly to harvest to keep the gospel moving forward.

Will you become a harvest partner and help us fulfill the great commission in our lifetime? Let's do this together. Just go toharvest.org. I have some good news in a bad world. Tens of thousands of people were listening and watching as Pastor Greg Laurie presented this encouragement at the Harvest Crusade.

He brought the message so many needed. Here's the problem. We're empty, we're lonely, we're guilty, we're afraid to die. But there is a solution, and it's called the gospel. Did you know that the word gospel means good news?

And people need good news today in a bad world. This is the day when the lost are found. This is the day for a new beginning. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. Oh, can you hear all the angels are singing?

This is the day, the day when I begin. Ever try fixing something with the wrong tool? like using a butter knife. out of a screwdriver. That's how some people live their lives.

They keep trying to fill the emptiness with stuff. money, relationships, success, but nothing really works. Today on a new beginning, from a recent harvest crusade, Pastor Greg Laurie points out that Jesus is the one who can actually fix what's broken. If you're tired of pretending you're fine, this is one message you need to hear. But I want to talk to you about.

Something good. There's so much. Negativity.

So much bad news. I have some good news in a bad world. Yeah, we've been doing these crusades for a long time. A lot has changed. We did the first one at a place called the Pacific Amphitheater in 1990.

The top movies in the theaters were Home Alone, That marks it in time. Pretty woman. The top TV shows were Seinfeld, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. And Bill Cosby was America's dad. Yeah, things have changed just a little bit.

The top songs were Ice, Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice. And you can't touch this by MC Hammer. In vogue. By Madonna. And guess what?

There were no smartphones. No smartphones. I think it might have been better back when there were no smartphones. The internet was just coming into its own. We used something called a 56K modem.

Though a lot has changed. There's a lot of things that haven't changed. For instance, There are certain things I know about you without even knowing you personally. I know this about you. Everyone is empty inside.

You're effectively born With what we can describe as a hole in your heart, so to speak. It's a void. And there's nothing that will fill this hole. Not relationships, not possessions. Not accomplishments, not sex, not fame, nothing.

Comedian Dave Chappelle, when he first started making a lot of money, was quoted to say: The higher up I go, the less happy I am. End quote. You see, this is a loneliness for God Himself. I remember when I was a little boy, I was living with my grandparents. Because my mom was living her wild life, getting married and divorced over and over again, and partying her life away.

So I'm living with my grandparents. I would go into my little bedroom. And I would pull a blanket over my head. And I would have conversations with Someone I called mister Nobody. I would just talk to this imaginary person, Mr.

Nobody. And you know what? In my way as a little boy, I was trying to talk to God. I just didn't know how. And then one day I discovered Mr.

Nobody had a name. His name was Jesus, and he was very interested in me. Everyone is empty. Number two, everyone is lonely. Everyone is lonely.

Lady Gaga, through tears in an interview, said this: I'm alone every night. All these people will leave, right? They'll leave, and I'll be all alone. I go from everyone wanting to touch me all day. To just being in total silence, end quote.

Do you know what the top words are for late-night Google searches? Porn Lonely. and suicide. Wow. Lonely.

In suicide, does that describe someone I'm talking to right now? You're lonely, you've even contemplated suicide, some of you have possibly even attempted it. Number three, everyone feels guilt. It's built into us. The head of a mental institution once said, I could release half of my patients if I could find a way to rid them of their sense of guilt, end quote.

Listen, the reason you feel guilt is because, how shall I say this? You're guilty. Maybe you come in here tonight with a lot of guilt because you've done things you're ashamed of. You wish you could undo those things, but you can. But the good news is...

guilt Comes because we've sinned, but God can forgive our sin and remove our guilt, you see? And deep down inside, everyone is afraid to die. The statistics on death are really quite impressive. One out of every one person will die. There are no exceptions.

The Bible speaks of those who are terrified. by the fear of death. Actor William Shatner, best known for playing Captain Kirk on Star Trek, said, I'm so not ready to die. It petrifies me. I go alone.

I go to a place I don't know. It might be painful. It might be the end. My thought is, it's the end. I become nameless after I spent a lifetime being known, end quote.

Man.

Someone needs to tell William Shutner that there's hope beyond the grave. You know? And then he can truly Live long and prosper. trying to do the little Star Trek deal there. Arnold Schwarzenegger, our former governor here in California, was recently interviewed and he gave his thoughts on death.

He says, I know people feel comfortable with death, but I don't. Because I will blanking miss the blank out of everything to sit here with you. That's going to be gone, and all the things that we do. That's going to end. What that?

Blank? That's what hopelessness sounds like, you see. That's what I used to think. I thought when you die, you simply cease to exist, and that freaked me out. But that is not what happens.

When you die, your body goes into the ground, but your soul goes into the afterlife. There is life beyond the grave. And if you believe in Jesus Christ, you go straight to heaven. The moment you take your last breath on earth, you take your first breath in heaven. You close your eyes on earth and you open them in heaven.

Now, that's for the believer.

Now, the non-believer, they will face a certain judgment. And just as surely as there is a glorious place called heaven, there's also a place called hell. I'll say a few words about that in just a moment.

So, yes, we're empty, we're lonely, we're guilty, we're afraid to die, but there is a solution, and it's called the gospel. Did you know that the word gospel means good news? That's really means good news. And people need good news today in a bad world. Generation Z has been dubbed the hopeless generation.

Ed Shirin. is among the 21st century's biggest global pop stars. But in a recent interview, he said he found himself suicidal after the death of two of his friends, and his wife got very sick, and he and his wife were plagued with fear, depression, and anxiety. Think of all of the success that Ed Sharon has had, but he's filled with fear, depression, and anxiety. Does that describe someone I'm talking to you right now?

According to a report that just came out from the Centers of Disease Control. 60% of female students Experience feelings of sadness or hopelessness in the past year, and 25% of them have made a suicide plan. Wow, that's scary. Here's the problem. We're looking down way too much.

We're looking down on these phones and engaging in something that is called doom scrolling. It's when you're just reading depressing news, and there's a lot of scary things happening in our world. I just read today about talk of a potential nuclear war. That this is scary stuff. And so, what do we do?

Jesus said: when you see these things begin to happen, look up because your redemption is drawing near. It's time to look up. Stop looking down. Start looking up. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of this Harvest Crusade message in just a moment.

Hey everybody, you can watch our Sunday services on a special broadcast that we call Harvest at Home. It's streaming on the Harvest Plus platform.

So download that app right away, Harvest Plus, and you can enjoy being a part of our extended church family every Sunday.

Well, today, Pastor Greg is providing real answers to the big issues of life from a recent Harvest Crusade message. Let's continue. Life can be like a puzzle. How many of you like puzzles? Raise your hand.

I don't like puzzles.

Now, my wife loves puzzles. If she sees a puzzle, she'll stop. Oh, Greg, look, a puzzle, and she'll start putting it together. I'll just keep walking. I think what a waste of time.

So the other day, she was assembling this huge puzzle in our front room, and she was almost done. I was upstairs. She said, Greg. Craig, come help me. I'm missing a piece of the puzzle.

Okay.

So I came downstairs and I got down on my hands and knees and searched, and I finally found it. I said, Kathy, here it is. She said, There's the final piece of the puzzle. It's completed and life can be that way. We think, well, if I just do these things, I'll be happy and complete.

You know, if I just get through high school, now I get through college, now I get my degree, now I begin my career.

Okay, well now I'll get married.

Okay, maybe I'll marry someone else instead. I can divorce and marry again. Oh, now we'll have kids. It's kids. Kids are the answer.

You have kids. How do we get rid of these kids? It's like They're 40 and still living at home, right? And it just goes on and on and on. You're looking for the missing piece of the puzzle.

Look up. God's holding the missing piece of the puzzle. He's got it. It's him that you're actually. Looking for So I want to read a passage from the Bible.

It's in Romans chapter 10, and it says this: How can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? How can they believe in him? If they've never heard about him, how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? How can anyone go and tell them without being sent? This is why the scriptures say: How beautiful are the feet of those that preach the good news.

This is what I want to talk to you about tonight. The good news. The good news of the gospel, the good news of. Your sins being forgiven. But before you can fully appreciate the good news, you have to know the bad news.

And there's some bad news. I heard about uh Two old guys that love to play baseball. And they wondered, you think there'll be baseball in heaven?

So they made a deal. If one of them died, He would talk to his buddy from the other side and tell him if there's baseball in heaven or not.

Well, two weeks later, one of them did die. And so his buddy's walking along, and suddenly he hears a voice of his friend Joe from the clouds. He says, Hey, buddy. I'm in heaven and I've got some good news and some bad news. He says, What's the good news?

The good news is there's baseball in heaven. Oh great, what's the bad news? You're pitching Friday, so that's it and single. The good news. Is I can have my sin forgiven.

The good news is I can have the hole in my heart filled. The bad news is, I am separated from God by something called sin. The Bible says, all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. That's why Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sin. That's why.

You say, but Greg, I'm a good person. And I don't dispute that. I'm sure you're a very good person. I've met some really good people who are not Christians. Honest.

Helpful. I mean, if you needed your tire changed, they would help you. They're good people, okay, but. It's not about if you're a good person or not. It's like you're not good enough to get to heaven on your own.

Heaven is not for good people. Heaven is for forgiven people. You need to be forgiven of your sin. This is the good news. And if I believe in him, I'm forgiven.

Listen to this. There's going to be some. Bad people in heaven And there's going to be some good people in hell.

So you lost me there, preacher. There's going to be some bad people in heaven, and by this I mean. I don't care what kind of a life you've lived, if you Turn from your sin and ask Christ to forgive you. you can have the hope of heaven. You know that's true.

The Bible tells the story of when Jesus was crucified, there were two men on each side of him.

Sometimes they called them the thieves on the cross, but they were probably guilty of a far worse crime than stealing. There were probably murderers, maybe terrorists. They're hanging on the cross. Each side of Jesus. And one of those men turns to Jesus and says, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.

And Jesus says to that man, Truly, truly, I say to you, today you will be with me. in paradise. Boy, talk about being at the right place at the right time, right? Today, you will be with me in paradise. And that man was forgiven of his sin.

A bad man made it into heaven. But then there can be a good person that makes it to hell, and by that I mean they trust in their own good works. And they end up separated from God.

Now you say, Greg, hell, I can't believe in hell. How could a God of love send people to hell? Listen, God doesn't send anyone to hell. The last thing that God wants is for any man or any woman uniquely made in His image is to spend eternity separated from Him in this horrible place called hell. Hell was not made for people.

According to Jesus, hell was created for the devil and his angels. No one will end up in hell unless they want to end up in hell. That's your choice. You can choose where you spend eternity. You can be with God worshiping forever as we have done tonight.

Or you can spend eternity away from God. worshiping Yourself, but here's the good news: I don't have to go to hell, I can go to heaven. Because Christ died for my sins.

So, what do I need to do? to be forgiven of my sins. I need to be according to the Bible saved. I love that word saved. The Bible says, Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

You're like a drowning person. That needs to be rescued. You're like a person trapped in a burning building that needs to be rescued. And Jesus went to the cross and died in your place. Christ came to pay a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay.

He died for you. He died for me. He took the judgment of God upon himself, so I don't have to face that judgment. And then he rose again. From the dead.

The Bible tells the story of a very hardened man who was a Roman soldier. in charge of a jail. And they arrested the apostles Paul. and Silas and threw him into this dungeon, this hellhole. And the Bible says at midnight, Paul and Silas began to sing praises to God, and the other prisoners were listening.

And that word listening means they listened with pleasure. Because they'd probably never heard anyone sing in a prison like that before. And maybe, as you've joined us tonight, you're not a believer yet, but you've been listening with pleasure. You've thought, this is beautiful music. I love this.

Yes, it is. This is a taste of heaven. One day we will worship God for all eternity. You see, it's going to be fantastic. But then an earthquake came.

And the walls of the prison shook and collapsed. And the Roman soldier in charge pulled his sword out, ready to kill himself. Because if his prisoners escaped, he'd be held responsible. And Paul says, stop, don't hurt yourself. We're still here.

And that. Roman jailer said, Sir, what must I do to be saved? And Paul said, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. That's it. And I ask you tonight.

Are you saved? Have you believed in the Lord Jesus Christ? You say, I don't know if I am or not. How can I know? Listen, here's.

What I want to say in closing. If you want a relationship with God, If you want to have your sin forgiven, if you want to know you'll go to heaven when you die, if you want to fill that hole in your life, receive Christ into your life. What did Paul say to that Roman jailer? He said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. You need to say, Jesus, come and live inside of me.

Forgive me of my sin. I want to know you in a personal way. Right now, Jesus. Stands at the door of your life and he knocks. And he says, If you'll hear his voice and open the door, he will come in.

Only you. Can open the door of your heart.

So to speak.

Someone else can't. Open it for you. You need to open it yourself. Say yes to Jesus.

So we're going to pray. And I'm going to invite you to To come to Christ. Let's pray, Father. I pray that your Holy Spirit will speak to the heart of every person here. And if they don't know you yet, let this be their moment of decision.

Help them to come to you and believe. and follow Jesus.

So we commit them to you now and we pray for them in the name of Jesus. We ask this. Amen. Thousands prayed along with Pastor Greg Laurie that night at the Harvest Crusade. And as we feature this message today here on a new beginning, You can pray the same prayer along with Pastor Greg right now.

The precious blood of Jesus Christ. was shed on the cross for you. And if you will ask for his forgiveness, he will give it to you. You pray this wherever you are. Pray this out loud after me, Lord Jesus.

I know that I'm a sinner. But I know that you're the Savior. Who died on the cross for me. And rose again from the dead.

Now come into my life. I choose to follow you. From this moment forward. As my Savior. Is my Lord.

It's my God. is my friend. Thank you for hearing this prayer, Jesus. in answering this prayer. In Jesus' name I pray.

Amen. Amen. God bless you. God bless you. And if you've just prayed that prayer with Pastor Greg and have meant those words sincerely, the Lord has heard you and forgiven you of your sin.

And we'd like to help you begin to walk with God each day. Pastor Greg would like to send you his New Believer's Bible. It explains the basics of the faith without overwhelming you. Pastor Gregg's notes are practical and easy to apply. It'll help you build a strong spiritual foundation.

And we'll send you the New Believer's Bible without any charge. Just ask for it as you call 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24-7 phone number, 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to harvest.org and click Know God.

Well, Pastor Gregg, your message today from the Harvest Creed was titled Good News in a Bad World. The gospel really is the answer to so many of this culture's problems, isn't it? It really is. The Apostle Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation. to everyone who believes and I think This is the message we need to give.

The world is so full of bad news and negativity and discouragement. And they really need some good news in this bad world, and that's why we're committed. To preaching the gospel. I've been commanded to do it, to go into all the world and preach the gospel, as have you, of course.

So let's do it together. Help us to continue to bring this message to our generation. They need, we need. Good news more than ever. Yeah, yeah, that's right.

So we hope you'll invest in the work of evangelism. It's an investment that pays eternal dividends. Let us invite you to consider being a harvest partner.

Now, these are good friends of the ministry who invest each month. They determine the amount. And we have some special ways to thank them for their generosity and consistency. Find out more at harvest.org. Just click on Donate.

Or call us anytime at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300. And just a note: the Harvest Crusade is coming to Southern California July 19th. Thanks for praying for that event. Pastor Greg welcomes music guests Brooke Lidgertwood, Kerry Job, and Cody Carnes, We the Kingdom, and Chris Tomlin.

You'll be able to watch online at harvest.org or on the Harvest Plus app. That's July 19th. But thanks for supporting this event in prayer.

Well, next time, Pastor Greg returns to his series in Joshua and offers important insight on walking in the victory Christ has already won. Join us here on A New Beginning with Pastor and Bible teacher Greg Loring. This is a day, the day when life begins.